The Tapestry Campaign

Business as Usual

The Bellows. A 20 mile diameter valley set deep inside the basin of a dormant volcano. Protected from the outside world and a self-contained society all its own, it is home to some 30,000 inhabitants of varying races.

Seven of these citizens have been called upon to clean one of the hundreds of excavation sites that existed before the Arcanaclasm. The same excavation sites that were created when the dwarves searched for a proper home and entryway into The Below. Some of these sites have been converted into mines. Most lay dormant. The rare ones become the homes of some things much more sinister.

The reports from the neighboring halfling farms indicated that kobolds were coming from this particular site. Those reports were correct, as was evident when the consigned party approached the site to find a dozen or so of the creatures guarding the entry pit.

The heroes had not seen live combat in their lives up to this point, and their tentativeness was apparent as the reptilians quickly swarmed them. Eventually, the kobolds were dispatched, but not before one of the sling-wielders managed to escape down the pit by means of a crude rope that led into the darkness below.

The party gathered their wits and their courage and followed. The darkness gave way to the light of a couple glowrods, revealing a roughly hewn, bitterly cold cavern. A decrepit dwarven statue resided in the northern archway, guarding the darkness beyond it. The raspy breathing of more kobolds could be heard, however, and the heroes prepared for more combat.

If the first battle went awkwardly, this one was doomed for failure. That is, until the monk Freudenthas dug deep within his spirit and unleashed a flurry of fist and fury upon the kobolds. But from the shadows stepped a kobold much paler than the rest, dressed in dark robes. Reaching back, he unleashed a ball of cold energy upon the unsuspecting heroes.

Magic? The time for confusion could wait until this immediate threat was dealt with, and even the wyrmpriest was no match for the sheer numbers of the party. But the battles took their tool on the heroes, and they needed rest, and more importantly, to discuss these strange powers of this kobold.

Walking Dead

Camp broke in the cavern and the party’s attention turned to the declining passage to the north. Following it down, the chill became even more apparent by the frost forming on the walls and in their breath. The passageway gave way to a large chamber decorated with a large statue of a heavily armored humanoid. One hand of the statue was firmly clenched in a fist at its side while the other hand was reaching skyward. Cracks of light broke through the ceiling and walls, focused on and illuminating the statue.

Stranger still were the bones that littered the stone floor, as when the heroes approached the bones arose and surged at them. Dread accosted the party. How is it that the dead still walk? The true threat, however, was revealed when the skeletons engaged the party, as the white dragon emerged from a southern alcove.

The dragon let loose a breath colder than ice, dousing several of the members in a freezing, searing mist which was curiously similar to the hurled ice ball of the kobold priest. The party’s focus was quickly turned towards the new threat and they struck fast and they struck fiercely. Through their combined efforts, the young dragon offered a dying shriek while it was dispatched, and the remaining skeletons soon followed.

Their attention turned to the intriguing statue, whose wrists were adorned with strange markings. Searching the chamber, it was discovered that the dragon was studying the steel guardian, as the undecipherable etchings were duplicated in several parchments. After thorough examination, Pok and Tratlin were able to discern that The Below houses a similar statue. This only added to the questions, not the answers. Satisfied, the party began to depart the excavation site.

Upon reaching the pit, the cavern groaned and shook from below. Returning to the deep chamber, they were surprised to discover a large hole in the wall where several cracks had weakened the foundation. The statue was gone!

The chase was on for the statue’s abductor as the heroes rushed out the newly formed exit. The adjacent forest proved to be a challenging obstacle, even for the trained rangers Pok and Panwood. Freudenthas even managed to fall into a large pit, and a wrong turn brought the group face to face with an enormous (and angry) bear.

Eventually, the forest gave way to a clearing which housed another excavation site. However, this dig was much newer, and the ground appeared to be clawed out, as was evident by the markings and a rotted finger found amidst the dirt. Large footprints, that were assumed to match the statue’s, were placed in front of a 5 foot deep pit. No other signs of the statue were present until the party managed to look skyward, where the statue was stationary, a heavy chain wrapped around its waist.

Searching for a means upward, Brador searched the surrounding trees. It was then where the twisted, grotesque humanoid attacked with a groan and a swipe of rotting flesh. The zombies were upon them.

The dead clawed, moaned, grabbed, and bit at their prey. Amidst the chaos, a giant zombie burst through the forest and slammed into Makarius, knocking him to the ground with a hollow “Thud!” In response to seeing his companion being run to the ground, Brador sprung into action. His mordenkrad was instantly turned into a device of destruction, slamming into dead flesh, and eventually connecting with the hulking zombie’s skull with a sickening crack. The huge zombie fell lifeless for a second time in its existence and the rest of the undead were no match for the surge of morale that followed.

Once dispatched and their wounds healed, the group’s eyes turned upwards. The statue was once again gone, this time with no tracks or hint of which direction it escaped to.